Do you know what your child`s legal rights are at the age of 16? Here`s a look at the brilliant new rights they get at that age under British law. You can legally marry or enter into a registered civil partnership at the age of 16, although in both cases parental consent must be given if you are under 18. You can choose your own religion at any age once you have the maturity to understand what this decision means. However, if you are under the age of 18 and practice a religion that could be harmful to you, your parents may ask the court to intervene by making you a ward of the court. Your employer must pay you the national minimum wage for 18-year-olds. This changes every year – you can find out what the current minimum wage is on the HM Revenue and Customs website. Your guide on what you can legally do in the UK at what age, whether you`re hoping to be served, fitted, get a mortgage or just get a life. I am 16 years old, can I legally leave my parents?. You can apply for legal aid. You will be assessed with your own funds.
The legal age of sexual consent is 16 in the UK and 17 in Northern Ireland. Take action: Learn the rules for working legally as a teenager and learn about cyberbullying and online safety. It has never been illegal to watch pornography in the UK unless it falls under what the law would call “extreme pornography”, which is against the law and serves to protect individuals from viewing material that the law deems inappropriate. However, it is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to purchase pornography such as videos or magazines. No. You cannot get a legal tattoo until you are 18 years old. There is no minimum age for a young person to keep another child. But parents have legal responsibility until the minor turns 18 — so if difficulties arise while the youngest child is in care, parents can become negligent by poor judgment. RoSPA and NSPCC recommend that no one under the age of 16 be left to care for a child. You can apply for legal aid at any age, although if you apply in civil or family courts, you may need to apply through a litigant.
Hi Trey, in Oxfordshire, you can do paid work at the age of 11 – but you have to follow the rules on the duration and type of work, it doesn`t have to hinder your education and you need to get a work permit from the council. Anyone who gives you a job should know all the rules for employing children. If you are under 18, you generally cannot enter into contracts. Contracts are legally binding agreements where something valuable is exchanged. The law states that below this age, you can sign valid contracts for necessary things – for example, food or clothing, but not motorcycles, electrical appliances or cell phone contracts. You can apply for legal aid yourself (see also “At any age”). Legally, you are considered a child if you are under 18 years of age. Until that age, you can`t buy alcohol or do things like say goodbye to school or training (although you can leave high school at 16). But for many other things, the legal age is 16. We looked at the law in England and Wales in some of these cases.
You have the right to seek advice at any age, once you have the maturity to fully understand what this request means. However, your right to complete confidentiality may be restricted if you are likely to suffer significant damage. Although the age of consent is 16, it is not legal for a person in a position of trust or power (such as a teacher) to have sex with someone under the age of 18. The child is under their responsibility, so it`s illegal. It is illegal for you to buy alcohol or try to buy alcohol until the age of 18. There are some striking rites of passage that teenagers enter at this age. At age 16, teens can do the following: You can join one of the armed forces without your parents` consent once you turn 18. From the age of 16, it is assumed that a person is capable of consenting to all sexual activities with other people from the age of 16. If you are under the age of 17 or if you are a victim of a sexual offence, you will usually make your statement through a video interview. For more information, see Adoption – Finding a parent/sibling.
You can see your doctor yourself at any age and the conversation will be confidential. Unless your doctor or nurse feels your safety or someone else is at risk. This doesn`t mean they will always talk to your parents and that they can choose to talk to social services or the police instead. Take action: Use your right to vote. Learn about alcohol and safer drinking, and learn how to stay healthy and happy. You can have your body pierced at any age, although your parents may need to accompany you and give your consent. Some local authorities and piercing salons have their own rules and may set a minimum age and require parental consent, so you should check them before making an appointment. At what age can I see my doctor or practice alone in the UK? You can leave school on the last Friday in June, if you are 16 at that time, or you will turn 16 during the summer holidays before the start of the next school year. If you receive a new passport, it must be signed by you and not by your parents. You will have to pay for dental care even if you are a full-time student, but you can apply for exemption if you have a low income.
You cannot be a passenger if the driver only has a provisional driver`s license. Although you are not necessarily required to attend school, you must continue your education, employment or training until the age of 18. If you are in England or Wales, you can vote in British elections and referendums from the age of 18. You can register to vote at the age of 16. You can have a driver`s license to drive a medium-sized truck (maximum 7.5 tons). You can smoke cigarettes at any age, but you are not allowed to buy them until you are 18. You can watch a category 12A movie at the cinema without adults. You can also rent or buy a category 12 video. You can open a bank account or get a credit card without your parents` signature. You can also take out a personal loan. You can enter a bar at any age as long as you are with someone over the age of 18.
Basically, you might well be asked to prove how old you are for some of these things. You can prove your age with a passport, driver`s license or proof of age card. Take action: Learn about consent and the different types of supports that help youth stay out of trouble. You can act as an executor or executor of a deceased person`s estate. You can file a complaint at any age if you believe you are being treated differently or discriminated against because of race, religion or belief, disability, gender and sexual orientation. The municipality has a duty to accommodate you if you are homeless, need help or have a primary need and have not intentionally become homeless. You can be sued at any age. However, you cannot be held responsible for debts you owe until the age of 18. You can take your driving test for a car and start driving from the age of 17. It is also the minimum age to drive a tractor or motorcycle.
If you want to drive a “medium-sized vehicle”, you must be 18 and 21 years old before you can drive larger vehicles. You can buy or rent a category or PG video, but it`s up to the store owner to decide whether to let it do it or not. You can marry or register a registered civil partnership with your parents` consent. You need the consent of all persons who have parental responsibility over you. They can testify at any age in civil proceedings. If the court finds that you do not understand the nature of an oath, you can testify under oath. From the age of 16, you can work full-time in Wales when you reach the minimum school age. In England, you have to stay in some sort of education until the age of 18, and we`ve taken a closer look at that below.
If you are convicted of an offence other than murder or a serious crime and the offence is so serious that only a jail sentence is appropriate, or if you are a repeat offender (or if you do not accept a community order), you can be sentenced to a detention and training order of up to two years. If you are under 16, you may be subject to a local curfew for children between 9pm and 6am, which prohibits you from public places (unless you are with an adult). Your parents can`t violate your consent decision, but a court may rule in your favour if it feels the decision you`re making isn`t in your best interest. You can apply to some fire departments at 17 years and 10 months of age. You are entitled to full-time education until the age of 19. You may be assessed to pay child support if you are an absentee parent. For more information, see Youth Employment. They can continue to receive the benefit until age 20 if they are full-time in “non-advanced education” or “recognized education”, including GCSEs, A-levels, BTECs and internships.